


For Once

by SweetMemories1998



Series: Gruvia As A Couple [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Gruvia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 19:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13219269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetMemories1998/pseuds/SweetMemories1998
Summary: As Christmas of X784 approaches, Fairy Tail discovers that Gray isn't the only one who hates the holiday. After Team Natsu devises a plan to change their minds, the ice mage has a talk with Juvia that only confirms the fact that he tries to deny most: his growing feelings towards her. Can he let go of his fears and allow himself to be happy, for once? Gruvia Fluff + Gajuvia brOTP.





	For Once

**Hello, dear readers! Here I am with another one-shot. I know that I was supposed to post the next chapter of Connections, but the Christmas spirit just took over me. Also, I've never done a story focused on the holiday, so I thought I'd give it a try.**

**I officially give up on trying to write short stories, it just isn't my nature. Sorry this is so big, but I just can't help it. Once I start writing, the ideas just keep flowing and I can't stop.**

**So, this one-shot should be placed after the Edolas Arc, but before Tenrou Island. I'll warn you before hand that Gray might be a bit OOc, though I tried my best to explain his actions and thoughts.**

**Happy reading, Gruvia fans!**

* * *

 

The Only Exception-Paramore

And I've always lived like this

Keeping a comfortable, distance

And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content

With loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk,

but You are the only exception

* * *

 

_December 19th, X784_

Juvia Lockser entered the Fairy Tail guild only to be surprised by how much it had changed in the five days since she had last been there. She had gone on a mission with her best friend, Gajeel Redfox, and they had finished it the day before.

"What the hell?" Gajeel whisper-screamed as soon as the two crossed the doors, making everyone look at them in surprise.

"Hey, you guys. Glad to see you're back." Lucy cheerfully greeted them from her place by Natsu's side as the dragon slayer was, as usual, stuffing his face.

"How was the mission?" Mira asked while cleaning a glass.

"It was fine." Gajeel answered, seeing as his partner was currently frozen in shock.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked, seeing Juvia's reaction at the guild hall.

"I guess she doesn't like the decorations." Gray said, heading away from the bar and towards the entrance. He looked exceptionatly grumpy and it was clear he too didn't enjoy all the Christmas decorations that filled the guild hall.

"I told you it was too much, Mira." Laxus told the white haired woman, who glared at him.

"It's not." Juvia finally spoke, biting her lip. "I had just forgotten that Christmas was coming."

"How could you forget about Christmas?" Natsu inquired, having finally finished eating.

"It's the best holiday ever!" Happy put in, flying by the pink boy's shoulder while eyeing Carla, the new exceed that had joined the guild a few weeks before.

"Speak for yourself." Gray muttered, looking annoyed.

"Gray, please. Not this year." Erza warned, coming out of no where and giving him a big scare.

"Sorry." He whispered, looking away.

"What's wrong, my love?" Juvia asked, curious to why her crush seemed so upset.

"Don't mind him, he's just being his annoying, Christmas hating self." Loke said, rolling his eyes towards Gray. With the holidays coming up, he had made an agreement with Lucy to remain in human form so that he could celebrate with their friends. Everyone was glad to have him back as a guild member, even if for a short while.

"So you hate Christmas, huh stripper?" Gajeel asked, raising an eyebrow while he took a step forward.

"Yep. Are you sure you still want to go after him, Juvia?" Loke asked, taking a step forward. "I'm sure a beautiful lady like yourself could do much better." He winked and the water mage was uncomfortable.

"Hmm.. thank you?" She shyly whispered as Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" THe blonde crossed her arms and Loke gave a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry, Lucy, my heart belongs to you." He dramatically said and she shook her head.

"You're incorrigible." She muttered and Juvia laughed a little. She loved the interactions in Fairy Tail, everyone was so unique. Crazy, but unique.

"Can't you keep your mouth shut for one second?" Gray snapped at the celestial spirit while blushing a little. Juvia had come to notice that he would blush many times when people made comments about them being a couple.

"Anyways, now that you guys are here, you can help with the tree." Mira spoke before a fight could erupt.

"What?" Gajeel asked, looking confused.

"We've all helped decorating a little, but since you two weren't here, you're gonna have to go with the tree." Lucy explained and Juvia shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you." They stared at her in confusion.

"Why not?" Natsu asked, raising a brow.

"Please, asking Juvia to decorate a Christmas tree is like asking me to be all nice and friendly." Gajeel snorted, making them look at him.

"Meaning?" Gray asked, still confused.

"She hates Christmas." Juvia said nothing, looking uncomfortable.

"What?" Natsu asked, staring at her wide eyed like everyone else.

"You can't possibly hate Christmas!" Erza protested.

"Why?" Lucy asked, curious.

"We didn't celebrate it at the orphanage." Juvia explained quickly, but they had a feeling there was more to the story.

"Well, it's good to know I'm not alone in this." Gray said after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"You two really are perfect for each other." Max said, making both blush.

"I must be going now, I need to...buy that thing you asked." Juvia turned to Gajeel with a pleading look.

"Sure. Just don't be late for lunch." He told her and she nodded before hurrying off.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go too. Can't stand another minute of staring at these ridiculous decorations." Gray said, making Mira frown. Before anyone could say anything, he was gone.

"Seems like this is sure to be an interesting Christmas." Cana commented, smirking. The others nodded while Erza, Natsu and Lucy shared looks. Having Gray and Juvia both hate Christmas was not an option that year and they would find a way to show them how fun the holiday could be.

* * *

"So, how do we change their minds?" Lucy asked a few hours later, when they were reunited in her apartment, Wendy and Carla having joined them.

"No idea." Natsu said.

"You could give them presents. Everyone loves presents." Happy suggested.

"That sounds more like bribing than convincing." The blonde told him and Erza smiled.

"Yes, but it's not a bad idea." They stared at her curiously.

"So you think we should do it?" Lucy asked, incredulous.

"We'll give them the best gift of all." The red head excitedly said. "Love."

"Love?" Natsu asked, confused.

"So your plan is to like... give them hugs?" Wendy asked and she shook her head.

"No, I didn't mean we actually give them love. We just have to make them realize they already have it." As the dragon slayer stared dumbly, Lucy and Ezra shared knowing looks.

"So you want them to realize that they're in love with each other." The blonde stated and the requip mage nodded.

"Wait, what?" Natsu yelled, standing up from his chair.

"You two are crazy, Gray's not in love with her." Carla reminded them.

"She's got a point." Lucy said, frowning.

"That's where you're wrong." Erza told them, smirking. "I've known Gray for years, so I understand how he works. He's never let anyone get too close and I think you know why." They nodded. It wasn't hard to pick up on the fact that Gray was afraid of losing people after having lost both his parents and guardian.

"It's no different with Juvia. I mean, they're friends, but that's it." Natsu pointed out and Erza shook her head.

"No, something's changed over the past few weeks. I think it might have been our visit to Edolas, but Gray's been acting differently towards her." Lucy stared at her in disbelief.

"Really? I haven't noticed it." The red head smiled.

"It's hard to notice unless you really pay attention. But I saw how they've been spending more time together than usual and Gray doesn't seem to mind it. He's also been asking Gajeel about her, wanting to learn more about her likes and dislikes. Not to mention, he's been much happier lately, don't you think?" As they thought about it, they realized it was true.

"Do you really think that he could be falling for her?" Lucy asked. The idea of Gray falling in love with anybody was hard to phantom, seeing as the ice mage was usually so closed.

"Yes, he is. He just needs a little push to realize it." Erza replied.

"So, what do we do?" Natsu went back to the original question.

"The first step is getting them to spend some time together." Erza replied, a smirk on her face as a plan came to mind.

~~~~

* * *

 

_December 21st, X784_

Juvia arrived at the main fountain in Magnolia park by 3 pm, just as the letter she had received advised. It had come from Erza, saying there was something urgent they needed to discuss and the bluenette knew better than to ignore something coming from her. She was surprised to find the red head hadn't arrived yet, she was usually very punctual.

Shrugging it off, the water mage sat down on the fountain and patiently waited.

After a few minutes she started to grow anxious, so Juvia decided to distract herself. Using her magic, she made the frozen water of the fountain become liquid once again and then transform into snowflakes. She was glad that none of her friends were there, because it would seem weird considering she had told them that she hated Christmas.

"That's pretty." Someone said, startling her. She quickly turned around and was surprised to spot Gray.

"Gray? What are you doing here?" She made the snowflakes disappear and turned the water back to ice.

"I came to meet Erza. What about you?" He asked, hands finding his pockets.

"So did I. She's running late." The bluenette replied, finding it a bit strange that Erza would suggest a meeting with both of them. It was weird, but then again, when it came to Fairy Tail, there was no such thing as normal.

"That's weird." Gray voiced her thoughts, looking confused.

"I'm guessing she'll try to convince us not to hate on Christmas." Juvia suggested and he shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. She's tried that so many times with me that she eventually just gave up." She stared at him cusiously.

"How long have you hated it for?" He looked taken aback by the question.

"Why do you care?" It hurt to have him still wonder why she cared when she had made her feelings for him clear so many times before. But Juvia knew that boys could be clueless when it came to the matters of the heart and Gray wasn't exactly the open hearted type, so she forced herself to look unaffected by his harshness.

"I'm just curious." His look softened and he shrugged.

"It's been a while since the last time I actually managed to enjoy Christmas time." She wanted to ask more, but felt like the ice mage wouldn't want to share. "What about you?"

"I never liked Christmas." The water mage admitted.

"Why? Didn't you celebrate it with your family?" Gray regretted the words as soon as he said them. It had completely escaped him that Juvia had grown up in an orphanage.

"I wouldn't know, I was so little when my parents..." She paused as a pained expression came to her face and he felt bad for reminding her of them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad." She gave him a soft smile.

"It's alright. You were just curious." He was once again surprised by her infinite kindness and forgiveness when it came to him.

Gray didn't like it when she treated him so nicely, specially given the way he treated her. It's not that he didn't like her or anything, in fact he thought she was amazing, but he couldn't allow her to get too close. So he acted clueless and indifferent despite knowing how much it must hurt her to have him ignore her clear affection towards him.

He had wanted to change, he really did. After having possibly the most awkward conversation ever with a version of himself (he still couldn't believe there was a world where he was an idiot who wore too many clothes), Gray had began thinking about his relationship with Juvia and the possibilities of where it could lead.

It was no secret that she desired more than just friendship and, as he came to realize, he had been developing feelings for her as well. They had been spending a lot of much time together lately, mainly on missions because she had insisted to accompany him ever since he came back after defeating the Oracion Seis.

Gray had began seeing her company as less of another reason to be uncomfortable and more of an opportunity to learn more about her. He had learned over the past few months that her favorite color was bright blue, because it reminded her of the cloudless sky he had allowed her to see again; her favorite dish were caramade franks that he had introduced her to and her favorite season was spring, because it didn't rain much and the flowers were beautiful.

He wasn't the only one who learned more, during their conversations the ice mage had found himself sharing things he usually never would. It was strange, but he trusted her even though he hadn't known her for long. With Juvia, it was like he could finally allow himself to not care about what he said and thought, about being judged because she never judged him.

Gray found happiness in their latest encounters and he was thankful for it. For many years he gad settled for living life one day at a time and keeping a distance from everyone, but it was different with her. With each day they spend together, the distance would decrease a little and he ofine wondered what would happen if it disappeared.

Although he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't interested in her, there was no chance that he would ever act on his growing feelings. He knew well enough the price of being close to someone and wasn't ready to pay it again, specially not with someone who understood him as well as Juvia did.

"Do you think Erza will take too long?" Her voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"I don't even know if she's coming anymore." Gray replied, finding it strange that the red head wasn't there yet. If there was one thing about Erza Scarlet that they could be certain of, it's that she was never late.

"Then I guess it's just the two of us. Do you perhaps want to get some caramades?" The water mage shyly asked and Gray tried his best not to smile.

"Sure." He replied before standing up and she did as well. They walked towards the restaurant, unaware that their friends were watching from the distance.

* * *

 

After getting their food and sitting down, Juvia brought up the topic of Christmas once again.

"I know you hate this holiday, but could you tell me what it's like to celebrate it with a family? I always wondered." She spoke softly and Gray was surprised not to find himself angry for once. He always felt uncomfortable and upset when someone wanted to discuss such topic, but something felt different this time.

"Well, I think for each family it's a bit different. When my parents were still alive, we would play in the snow during the day and at night, my mom would bake my favorite cookies and then we'd curl up on the couch and they'd tell me stories about anything." A smile came upon her face as she watched him.

"Sounds fun." He nodded.

"It was." Her smile suddenly turned into a frown.

"What happened to them?" The question caught him off guard. Juvia had always avoided the topic of his parents, understanding it must be a hard topic, and he had appreciated it. He thought about avoiding it once again, but decided not to. This didn't have to be a secret between them.

"They were killed during an attack on our village." He replied after taking in a sharp breath.

"I'm so sorry." Was her immediate response as she placed an unsure hand on top of his. He stared at it with widened eyes and she quickly removed it.

"What about your parents?" He changed the topic and it was her turn to take in a sharp breath.

"I don't know." He raised a brow, disbelieving. "I was too little and the people at the orphanage said that they didn't know for sure."

"That's messed up. They didn't bother telling you about it?" He was incredulous, but Juvia only shrugged.

"They didn't bother much when it came to me. I was a nuisance to them, because of the rain." Pain crossed her face as memories of the worse days came rushing back.

"They were idiots." Gray said, taking her hand in a sudden moment of boldness. "You didn't deserve what they did to you." She stared at him in surprise, blue eyes widened.

"Thank you." She softly told him and before he could say more, someone cleared their throat.

"Hey, you two." Lucy said, making them let go of each other's hand and stare at their friends.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gray asked, gaze focused on Erza.

"I'm sorry I was late for our meeting, something came up." The red head offered, but he was having none of it.

"Cut the crap, Erza. I know you didn't actually plan on meeting neither of us." He shot back and she looked unsurprised.

"Why did you set us up?" Juvia curiously asked.

"We were hoping that if you got to talking about Christmas, you might change your mind about it." Lucy explained and the ice mage sighed.

"Of course. So this was all about changing my mind." He shook his head, frustrated with his friends. "It's not gonna happen, okay? So just give up."

"We're just trying to help, Gray." Erza told him, unaffected by his harshness.

"Maybe we should listen to them, my love." The water mage told him.

"Why?" He frowned.

"Because they're our friends and they want us to be happy." Erza and Lucy smiled.

"That's right. And we think that if you two went to the Christmas Party this year, you would be." The ice mage looked unconvinced.

"I already went last year." The blonde rolled her eyes.

"But this year will be better." Erza told him, smiling. "You won't be alone anymore." He blushed a bit, picking up on the double meaning of her words

"To be honest, I always wanted to go to a Christmas Party." Juvia admitted, making them turn to her. "They didn't allow me to go back at the orphanage, because wherever I went, the rain would follow. That's why I hate Christmas, it reminds me of a time when I didn't have such nice friends like you guys."

"Really? That's cruel." Natsu pointed out and Lucy nodded.

"Those jerks didn't have the right to do that." She shook her head before a smile came upon her face. " But worry not, this year we'll make sure you have the best Christmas ever."

"See, Gray? You should come." Erza told the ice mage while the water mage and celestial wizard hugged.

"Yeah, maybe I should." Gray said, eyes focusing on Juvia. After everything he had heard that day, he realized that his reason for hating Christmas was actually pretty stupid. It was wrong of him to avoid the holiday because it reminded him of his late parents, that should be a good thing. He should be glad that he had great parents with whom he had spent so many amazing holidays, because at least he had the change to have fun.

Juvia hadn't and if anyone had the right to hate Christmas, it was her. Yet here she was, deciding to change her mind and enjoy being with her friends. Gray knew that the right thing to do was to follow her example. Who knows, maybe this Christmas might bring him more happiness than he could ever imagine it would.

* * *

 

_December 24th, X784_

The Fairy Tail guild hall was full. All the members were there to celebrate Christamas, even a few members of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale had joined the party. The decorations Mira had put up were stunning: blue, yellow and white lights in the shape of Christmas gifts, trees and stars; a big tree in the corner with the Fairy Tail mark on top and many mistletoes were scattered around the hall.

Everyone was having a good time, either talking, watching the decorations or enjoying the drinks. The Thunder legion, Cana and the Strauss siblings were having an amicable discussion about the latter's latest mission while Team Natsu, except for Lucy, sat by the tree and conversed with their friends from the other guilds. Gray took the time to catch up with Lyon and for once they didn't fight. It was Christmas after all, and now that the ice mage had found the magic in it again, he was in a good mood.

In the back of his mind, he worried about Juvia and the fact she hadn't arrived yet. He tried to convince himself that her absence didn't bother him so much, but it was a lie. They had agreed, after all, to come to the party and try to enjoy themselves. So then why did he have to be there when she wasn't?

Just as he was beginning to think about going to Fairy Hills and ask her why the hell she hadn't come, the sound of everyone whispering amongst themselves caught his attention. He saw their eyes were focused on the door and looked towards it, just out of curiosity. His jaw dropped when he spotted her behind Lucy.

Her hair was let down, for once, and Gray had to admit he liked it better that way. The large blue coat she had been wearing had been taken off and beneath it was a breathtaking silver dress she clearly hadn't picked herself. For one, she never wore that color and the dress wasn't as modest as her usual attire. He was sure Lucy had chosen it and couldn't help but to thank the blonde.

Juvia looked beautiful with that dress, it fit her perfectly and the low cut gave view to the silver necklace with a heart that was usually hidden behind her coat and it matched the dress perfectly. From what she had told him, it had been a gift from her parents, one that she had always carried.

The water mage stood there, frozen, blushing as all eyes were on her. After all, no one was dressed so...elegantly that night. "Hey, you guys. Sorry we're late." Lucy spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah, it's no problem, Luce." Natsu said. Gray didn't even notice he had gotten up and walked towards her, his eyes too focused on the stunning bluenette.

"I was starting to think tha you were going to skip this thing." Gajeel said as he approached Juvia.

"No, I promised I'd come." She replied, smiling nervously. Her arms covered herself a bit as if she was cold, but Gray had a feeling she must feel overly exposed in that dress.

"Well, might I just say that you look absolutely stunning." Loke said, approaching her with his usual charming smile.

"Hmmm...Thank you." Juvia replied softly, blushing even more when he took her hand and lightly kissed it. Gray felt anger fill him and ignored Lyon's confused look when he stood up and walked away. He wouldn't go to Juvia, he couldn't be near her when she was so beautiful and tempting. He knew if he got too close he might do something that he would later regret, so he quietly left through the back door, hoping no one would see him.

* * *

 

"Merry Christmas!" Mira excitedly yelled as she approached Juvia and Lucy.

"Merry Christmas, Mira!" Lucy replied while smiling.

"What do you have there?" Natsu asked, taking notice of the present in her arms.

"Oh, this is just a little gift." The white haired woman replied, her smile enlarging as she turned to the water mage. "After Gajeel mentioned how you didn't get any presents during your stay in the orphanage, we decided to each give you one to make up up for it." Juvia's eyes widened.

"You didn't have to do that." She shook her head in disbelief and Gajeel laughed.

"I tried warning them it was unncessary, but these fools didn't listen." He told her and Levy glared at him as she approached them.

"Stop being mean. It's Christmas!" She scolded and he raised a brow.

"She's right, you promised you'd be nice today." The other bluenette warned him.

"Fine." He said after sighing and shaking his head. While the two rolled their eyes, Mira approached the water mage and extended her hands.

"Here, take it." Juvia eyed the present unsurely before a small smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you so much." She picked it up before throwing her arms around the older woman in a needed hug. Feeling Mira's arms wrap themselves around her, she relished in the comfort of having such amazing friends that were willing to do so much to make her happy.

"You guys are the best! I never thought that I could be as happy as I am now." She told everyone after they broke apart from the hug.

"Aww, you're too cute." Lucy told her, all smiles.

"You deserve it." Mira gently said before eyeing the present. "Can you open it now?" The water mage nodded before dedicatedly opening the present. Inside she found a familiar crown with blue diamonds and a big purple one in the middle.

"It's the one you used on the night of the Fantasia Parade. I thought you'd like to wear it sometimes, feel like a princess." She looked rather uncertain and so Juvia put on a bit smile.

"I love it. Thanks." She picked up the tiara and gave it to Mira so she could place it.

"Now you're looking royal." Lucy said, giving a thumbs up.

"Yeah. It looks nice." Gajeel put in, making many people's eyed widen.

"Thanks, Gajeel." Juvia told her best friend. "I think I'm already feeling better about Christmas."

"That's good to hear." Mira said, happily clasping her hands.

"Then let's get this party started!" Cana yelled and everyone agreed.

Soon typical Christmas tunes began playing while many people danced on the improvised dance floor on the right corner of the guild. Juvia stayed with Lucy, Natsu, Erza and Gajeel chatting. After she had been introduced to the members of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale (a certain white haired ice mage told her over and over how amazing she looked and she found it strange but endearing), Juvia realized that Gray was no where to be found, so she asked Erza.

"He's outside." The red head replied with a knowing smile.

"I'll go talk to him then." Juvia excused herself, ignoring the knowing looks everyone gave her, before going towards the back door.

* * *

 

Gray was watching the Christmas lights when there was a loud sound and he turned back only to find Juvia walking out of the guild hall. He immediately started panicking, this wasn't good. He needed to get away and fast, but where could he go?

"Hello." She softly greeted while closing the door.

"Hello to you." He attempted to avoid looking at her, instead keeping his gaze focused on the lights.

"What are you doing out here? It's so cold." She asked while taking a few steps, embracing herself to keep warm. Though her dress had long sleeves, the temperature outside was too low.

"I'm an ice mage. The cold doesn't bother me." He replied while shrugging.

"Of course." Juvia nodded. "It makes sense." By then she was in front of him and he could only hope that she couldn't hear how loud his heart was currently beating.

"Here, I should..." He started while taking off his coat, seeing as she was clearly freezing.

"Thanks." She gratefully accepted it.

"So, are you liking the party?" He nervously asked and Juvia nodded.

"Yes, it's really different and amazing." She smiled brightly and Gray couldn't help but to smile as well.

"I'm glad you like it. You deserve to have a good memory about Christmas." She looked at him, blue eyes shining with excitement.

"I certainly do now." A few moments of silence passed as each thought about how good the night was turning out so far. Well, Gray focused more on all the ways that he could screw it up and all included having the two of them stay together.

"So, how about we go inside?" He suggested. If they were amongst other people it would be easier to resist his urge to kiss her. He didn't even know why he felt that way, the conversation with his Edolas Counterpart must've really messed him up. (Or maybe it was the fact that she was so attractive, even more so that night. God, why did Lucy have to pick that dress?)

"Sure." Juvia replied before she began walking, but since her dress was really long, ended up tripping on it. He managed to hold onto her arms to steady her, but ended up slipping himself and falling backwards onto the snow, bringing her with him.

"Ouch." He whispered as he lay there, unmoving. The fall hadn't hurt so much since the ground was covered in snow, but hitting your head is never good.

He barely realized that his arms remained wrapped around her waist until she slowly removed them, her hand lingering a bit as it found his. THe water mage took a deep breath before fully removing herself from him.

"Are you okay?" Juvia asked, worriedly examining him.

"I'm fine." He replied before slowly sitting up, groaning. "Although my head could use some ice."

"We'll get some inside." She told him and Gray began nodding before he saw it. There were Christmas lights entangled with it, but it was unmistakable. A mistletoe. Right above them. He once again panicked as he prayed that Juvia wouldn't see it, but her gaze soon followed his.

"Oh. It's a mistletoe." She said before looking back at him.

"Yeah." He stared at her expectantly, though his mind screamed for him to stand up before she got any ideas.

"Do you know what it means?" The bluenette asked, looking curious and expectant.

"No." Gray quickly said, hopting that she wouldn't give him a full explanation.

"We should go." He saw disappointment cross her face and it made him suddenly feel guilty. Damn feelings he couldn't seem to get rid of, why couldn't he just be his normal self? (Who was he kidding, he didn't even know who his normal self was anymore)

"Wait." He grabbed her wrist before she could stand up and she stared at him in surprise. "I know what it means."

"And?" She raised a brow and he could see hope in her eyes. What he said next surprised both of them.

"I'd like to...hmm...follow the rules." He hated how lame he sounded, but Juvia's disbelieving expression was priceless.

"What?" She shrieked, freezing in place. He realized his hand was still grabbing her arm and let it go.

"You know..." He didn't want to say it. He didn't even know why he was suggesting it, that would make his whole plan for that night pointless. But he couldn't deny anymore that he wanted to kiss her and for some reason he couldn't understand, instead on thinking about how much he'd regret it, he thought about how he'd regret not doing it.

"Gray, what are you saying?" She took a sharp breath and he internally sighed. Oh, what the hell. This wasn't the time to listen to that stupid little voice that always made him feel like shit. No, he needed to take action because this might be the only time he feels as determined and carefree as he did.

So without saying anything, he placed an unsure hand on her shoulder while the other wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer. She gasped in surprise, but he didn't give her time to dwell on it. Soon he was lifting her face and leaning in.

He prayed that she wouldn't pull away, this would only make this more awkward. Thankfully, she didn't. Instead, her arms wrapped around his neck as she removed the distance between them before she leant in.

"Are you sure?" She whispered, blue eyes staring up at him uncertainly. He found himself modding.

"Yes." Their lips met in a passionate kiss that put the fireworks that Natsu was probably putting on display at the guild hall to shame. In the back of his mind he could almost see his other self giving a thumbs and a big smile, congratulating him for being finally kissing her.

Gray decided to worry later about the implications of that kiss and the endless possibilities of where it could lead them. Instead, he focused on how warm he felt, being so close to Juvia and how for the first time in years, he wasn't dwelling over his parent's death.

* * *

 

**So, what did you think?**

**For those awaiting the next chapter of Connections, I'm afraid it might take a while. I'm barely having time to write anything during my trip, but I'll try my best to post it by next weekend.**

**HAPPY NEW YEARS, everyone! May 2018 bring you all happiness and joy.**


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